


The Hazards of Being In Love

by lifeisamess



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Enemy AU, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, aged-up, eventual identity reveal, sort of, they're like 18-19 here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-07-26 19:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7586974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeisamess/pseuds/lifeisamess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chat Noir and Ladybug have been enemies since the day they first set foot to the city's streets. Meanwhile, Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng just might be the happiest couple in Paris.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> A big thanks to my friend who proofreads every chapter for me - they'd prefer to stay unnamed. I got really drawn to the idea of an Enemy AU, and was surprised to see that I couldn't find something like this already, so I started writing it! The first chapter is mostly meant to serve as an introduction to the story, I don't think I'll jump around with POVs within chapters after this.
> 
> Find me on tumblr here: secondrateauthor.tumblr.com

Dark purple bubbles swarmed into the air, disappearing as fast as they came; the larger ones were carried off by the wind, disappearing somewhere above the crowd of heads that had gathered. In the same instance, a white butterfly danced back to the sky.

Ladybugs rushed the lazy Parisian air after the triumphant shout of “Miraculous Ladybug!” that had become familiar to those in the city. The red bugs swarmed around fallen structures, restoring them to what they once were, they gathered around confused civilians who had wandered just a little too far from home. Of course, all knew what had occurred, that they had been transformed; after 3 years, everyone knew. 

The hero Ladybug herself stood off to the side after tossing her lucky charm into the sky, watching the red bugs fill her vision and disappear just as quickly as they had come. Police crowded the akumatized victim, offering him water, a shock blanket, and so forth. She couldn’t help admiring the change of attitude; when she first chased akuma, first purified them, they were more likely met with disgruntled, confused faces than friendly, helpful faces. This thought helped keep her chin high, a smirk playing on her lips. 

Reporters began to crowd around her.

This fight in particular had been an easy one, she mused. The Weaver had been an aspiring designer of some sort -- she wasn’t quite sure. He was shot down by a company he had been interested in working for. Being shot down in itself was nothing unusual, but after stepping outside his labored-over designed had fallen into a puddle, and was instantly destroyed.. 

A small part of Ladybug’s mind reminded her that she was a designer, that she easily could have been the one on her knees with a water bottle in hand and yellow blanket around her shoulders.

“Ladybug, Ladybug!” called the reporter girl, demanding attention. The hero frowned, remembering that this reporter was not Alya — Alya was somewhere else, not having forgotten her favorite superhero, but getting into her industry, crafting herself into someone outside the Ladyblog. This was the newest high school girl trying to make a name for herself — Ladybug thought maybe she had seen her one other time, maybe heard that she was helping Alya with the blog. With that thought, she smiled. 

“Hello,” she said, pleasantly, as her earrings gave out their first signature beep. 

The girl’s face fell. 

“I’m sorry,” the superhero apologized immediately, a nervous habit nearly showing through as she raised her arms. Just in time to protect from her usual Marinette gestures, she rubbed a cheek, laughing. “I really must go - oh…”

“But Ladybug,” called Chat Noir as he landed on the sidewalk with a lash of his tail and a clack of his boots. A grin pulled at his features, green eyes narrowing. “Won’t you stay to chat?” 

Reporters who were there only moments ago were suddenly gone, including the girl who was so ready to ask questions, leaving the miraculous users to glare at one another. Another beep resounded through the quiet air. Chat’s grin could only grow. 

“Not today, kitty,” Ladybug muttered under her breath, not quite sure he heard. She could sense the slight panic of her kwami in the back of her mind, and she could sense the loud curiosity of the reporters who had not gone far at all. They stood safe in a nearby street, or behind the tables at that restaurant just right over there. She needed to get out of here. Time was running short. “Can’t chat now!”

“I am _aw-paw-led_ , my Lady!” snorted Chat Noir in good humor, but there was something far more menacing in his eyes. “Didn’t you once say you’d always make time for this alley cat?”

Ladybug needed to go.

Instead of gracing the so-called alley cat with a response today, she turned tail and broke into a sprint across the open concrete and down a street. The loud clattering of his steel-tipped boots was close behind. 

“Too afraid to fly, my Lady?” he teased mockingly. Ladybug looked up, eyes darting across the rooftops she so loved. If she detransformed on a roof, that would be more of a problem for her than figuring out how to escape on foot. She couldn’t jump or flip the same way she could when she was transformed. She needed to find a hiding spot down below -- and fast.

Her earrings beeped again, sending chills into her blood.

She sidestepped quickly into an alleyway that connected two streets as Chat Noir crashed behind her, no doubt having tripped thanks to his poor luck. 

A small giggle escaped her lips as she ducked behind a tall dumpster that had luckily been angled in her favor, and she stepped out on the other side as none other than aspiring fashion designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng. By the time Chat Noir was there, she had long tip-toed into the rushing crowd with the triumphant smirk of Ladybug dancing on her lips. 

\- - - 

Adrien was lucky he hadn’t bitten his tongue off during his embarrassing crash and tumble in the street. There was not a doubt in his mind that the reporters who had been so carefully watching, hoping Ladybug’s transformation would wear off, managed to snag pictures of Chat Noir’s ungrateful fall. 

He could just imagine the headlines. “Chat Noir, Revealed: A Total Klutz!”

Just the mere thought had him cringing. 

Now paired along with the twinges of shame, his whole face and his whole ego felt sore. Despite keeping his tongue in one piece, his teeth had still slammed painfully together as his chin landed hard on the cement streets. He had ducked into some abandoned building to detransform after, and with the help of his Kwami, Plagg, he managed to leave looking relatively like a person, keeping his chin low to avoid attention.

He had picked his way home carefully, hoping no one thought much of his dirty appearance or slightly off behavior. What a dream that was! No one had luck worse than his own. Of course he was noticed. When he made his way home, his father was already outside with a doctor. 

The doctor fixed him up with a laugh and a quick quip of, “Boys will be boys!” before heading back to his office. Adrien felt better, but it was short lived as his father’s temper exploded right when Adrien finally managed to sit at his desk chair.

“I told you to be careful!” ranted the usually cold, unfeeling, renowned fashion designer. The only reason he was here now? Stitches! On his son’s face! His assistant, Nathalie, just stood silently next to him with an eyebrow slightly cocked in Adrien’s direction.

“Well, I was fencing, father…” Adrien mumbled in return, biting down harsher words, sliding a look at Nathalie, then back at his father. The fashion designer ignored the look, the aura of his frustration pulsating through the air.

“Stitches!” Gabriel snapped. “On your face! I thought you would be smarter than this!”

Adrien didn’t bother responding. Nathalie just continued to frown. She was always frowning, Adrien couldn’t help but think. He knew she cared about his well-being, something she had proved time and time again, but he also felt that she was not particularly happy in such a job.

He decided not to respond this time as his father straightened up, his steely gaze going quickly over to his assistant who immediately had a posture change, straightening her back stiffly. Adrien realized that it was his staring that caused his father’s changed. 

Gabriel didn’t seem to notice, but Adrien was promptly put-off by her behavior as he always was. His father had a way of making everyone uncomfortable. 

“Can you give us some privacy?” Gabriel asked, no, demanded, and Nathalie was quick to nod and leave the room with one last glance at Adrien. He sent her a reassuring smile, wondering what she thought was about to happen after her departure. The door closed silently and he looked back towards his father. 

Adrien sighed through his nose, waiting for the real lecture to begin. Fencing indeed! That was nothing.

Immediately the man’s cold eyes were on his son, who once would have shrunk in his gaze, but who felt a tad more confident now as he ran his thumb over a silver ring. The movement did not escape the notice of Gabriel Agreste — no sir! 

“You let her get away,” he said, moving to sit down on the couch in the room. Adrien got off his desk chair, following his father to stand in front of the couch. Even on a couch, the man sat tall, professional. It was ingrained in him and it had been since the day he first started his company, longer than Adrien had even been around. Maybe he was born professional.

“I did my best, father,” Adrien retorted, annoyed.

“I told you to sneak up on her, and what did you do?” the man rolled his eyes, his tone became mocking. “But my lady!” 

Adrien couldn’t hide a bit of a grin at his father’s mocking tone, something he wouldn’t have pegged him for. It was so unlike him. Gabriel recognizes his slip of composure and immediately regains it, frowning further at his son. 

“I didn’t give you the ring so you could flirt.” he said after a few moments had passed, folding his hands on his lap. Adrien nodded, biting back any harsher words. Not today.

\- - - 

“I’ve told you before, Marinette!” sighed the red kwami as she waved her arms around. “You should be friends, not enemies!”

Marinette, meanwhile, bit down on her lip as she pricked the tip of her finger with a needle in the same moment that her kwami flew to the front of her face, frowning. Their eyes met and Marinette couldn’t help but scoff, sitting back in her chair. She shook out her hand to distract from the pain as she said, “I know, I know, but it’s not exactly like he’s trying to be friends, either. He came after me and gave chase today, you know!”

Tikki rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’d be so much stronger if you worked together,” she pointed out. “That’s how it’s meant to be.”

Marinette shrugged. She wasn’t the type to say that she was plenty strong without, and though the thought did cross her mind it was immediately crushed and pushed away. Some part of her was confident she was doing just fine without the help of any alley-cat, but on the other hand… 

“I guess, but we’re doing okay,” she said, flashing a grin at her companion. “You’re the only partner I need, Tikki!”

The kwami didn’t seem convinced by Marinette’s positive words, but regardless gave a sigh and floated over to her plate of cookies on the desk. Meanwhile, Marinette continued to smile and pulled herself back to her real task: sewing this sweater for Alya! She hummed a little as she worked, not thinking too much into Tikki’s words. Chat Noir worked with Hawkmoth, after all; how could she ever work with someone like that?

After a few minutes had passed, her phone buzzed on her desk, so she looked down with her heart jumping hopefully into her chest. A small smile broke on her lips as she recognized that she was getting a call from her boyfriend, one Mr. Adrien Agreste!


	2. Too Comfortable to Know

Adrien was always more than happy to stop by the bakery in the morning before starting his day. It was 7 in the morning, he was tired, and he could always use some food. 

This had become habit to him over the past few months; it was certainly always pleasant to be gifted a croissant before school, but there was definitely something brighter than the food when he stopped by, or rather, someone. Now that he was done with lycée, his future looming before him, he still tried to make a habit of stopping by, especially since all he had going on during the summer was meetings, photoshoots, and of course, Ladybug.

This morning he was denied a particular piece of sunshine; when he got to the bakery at his usual time, 20 minutes before he had to be at a meeting for his father’s company, Marinette was nowhere in sight. Her parents were manning the bakery, but there was a crowd this time of the day so Adrien hung back uncertainly after stepping inside, not sure if he should call out to them. Though he’d been dating their daughter for a while now, this was a place of business. If Adrien knew nothing else but one fact, it was that business should not be interrupted.

After at _least_ two minutes had passed, though it felt like an eternity to the young adult standing awkwardly off to the side, he finally made eye contact with Mr. Tom Dupain, Marinette’s father. Relieved when the larger man smiled and gestured for him to go over, Adrien narrowly weaved between the customers towards the store owner, hoping to be enlightened as to where Marinette was.

“She’s upstairs,” Tom said, before the question had left Adrien’s mouth. “I think she’s still sleeping. Sorry we’re so busy this morning, I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

“Not at all,” Adrien replied with a thumbs-up. “Thank you, sir!”

Tom didn’t get a chance to reply as Adrien, grinning, moved around him to run upstairs. This was a rare occurrence — though Marinette was for sure a heavy sleeper and had often been late when they were in school, he hardly ever made it here before her parents had ripped off her covers and gotten her up. Maybe they had just been too busy this morning to worry about it.

He made his way up to his girlfriend’s room and was greeted with darkness after pushing open the trapdoor. All blinds were closed, but Adrien was familiar with the pink room so it wasn’t really a problem for him because he knew exactly where to go, the amount of steps it took to get there, and was positive he could do it blindfolded. 

Grinning, mostly to himself, he stealthily climbed up to her loft to find her sprawled out and snoring just a bit across her bed. It was endearing. It always was. Something red flashed by in the corner of his eye as he sat at the edge. He turned to look, but when he saw nothing, he decided to just forget about it and focus on his snoozing girlfriend. 

“Hey,” he said, poking her softly in the ribs. “Marinette!”

She didn’t stir, except to pull the blankets over her face. Adrien snorted.

“Marinette,” he tried again, this time shaking her shoulder a bit. 

The closest thing to a response he’d gotten was barely a word. “Whuuu…” She turned her head to face away from him with a small grunt.

Adrien tried hard not to laugh but he couldn’t help it; he knew she wasn’t awake yet. He kicked off his shoes and laid on his side carefully, as to not squish his kwami Plagg, who grumbled and zoomed out of his jacket anyway. It gave him a bit of a startle, and he made a point to glare at the kwami who glared back before floating somewhere else in the room.

Looking back at her, at Marinette, Adrien couldn’t help the feeling of wistfulness; wishing that he could lay here forever, that he could sleep and wake up there in the morning instead of in his own home, with his cold father.

Marinette was so warm and kind. 

“Princess,” he tried, kissing the back of her head. “I didn’t get my croissant this morning!”

“Not my problem,” she mumbled, and he was pleased to realize he had succeeded in waking her up, but it was quickly followed by some embarrassment. 

“You don’t mind that I laid down, do you?” he inquired carefully. “I didn’t want to intrude…”

“And you continue to be a perfect gentleman,” Marinette yawned, rolling back over to look up at him. “I like it when we cuddle.” As the words left her mouth, she easily slid her arms around his neck and nuzzled into his chest. He relaxed considerably, pulling her closer and burying his face in her hair. 

His nose was attacked by an onslaught of the smell of Marinette, but he loved it, even if it was a bit strong. He loved every second of the sweet shampoo smell filling his nose, strong enough that he knew she must have showered right before bed last night. He loved the way she always smelled like the bakery, but maybe that was just the smell from downstairs right now, maybe right now it wasn’t just lingering on her skin. He loved the way that she felt like home, how he could lay down and instantly be at ease.

It was truly all he ever wanted.

\- - - 

The next thing Adrien knew, his phone was blaring like crazy. Confused, he sat right up, nearly fell off the bed, and looked around, trying to remember how he ended up in this awfully pink room… wait…

He looked down and blushed, remembering he was in Marinette’s room and as a result, had fallen asleep with Marinette. Of course, they’d been dating 3 years, so though they’d never gone too far with anything, they’d definitely taken a nap or two together. Still, his face was as pinker than her walls and it felt like it was going to burn right off. 

He cleared his throat, but she still didn’t stir, and his phone continued to vibrate in his back pocket like whoever was calling him had nothing better to do. Running his fingers through his hair that had no doubt gotten tousled up, he wondered just what he had skipped out on this time. 

Adrien decided it was better to take the call than to not take the call and made his way off the loft carefully as to not disturb Marinette. He left his shoes, having a feeling that all his other appointments had been cancelled for the day in the assumption he was going to continue being a lazy teenager. Painfully, not really wanting to see the time, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and sat down at Marinette’s desk, looking at her wall.

It was covered in pictures of the two of them over the course of 3 years. One picture had them at a masquerade party the school had hosted. She looked beautiful in the incrinate blue mask, and her dress had been fabulous too, of course, a design she made herself. It was short, playful. He loved it. He didn’t have the same level of taste, but she had made his mask to match her’s, even if blue wasn’t really his color. 

Those were fun times.

He looked at the time, and instantly regretted it. He’d fallen asleep for an hour, maybe more. It had just stopped buzzing and he could clearly see the number of missed calls he had, and the ignored texts. One of them was from his best friend, Nino. He clicked that one first.

 **Nino:** dude, where the hell are you? are you with mari? nathalie freaking out, called me twice

Adrien winced.

Most of his calls were from Nathalie, even one from his dad, but just as he was about to call her he heard buzzing: again. He looked over and saw that it was Marinette’s phone, which she must have left at her desk the night before. Sighing, and knowing, he reached towards it to see Nathalie’s name pop up on the screen.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Have you -- Adrien!?” 

“Yeah, hi. Sorry,” he mumbled after stretching his jaws in a yawn, not sure what else to say. He was glad it wasn’t his father that he was talking to right now, though.

“You’re at Marinette’s?”

“Yes… Sorry,” he repeated, for what he hoped was good measure. “I fell asleep.”

There was a pause. “You missed a board meeting that your father wanted you to attend.”

“I know.”

“The rest of your activities today are cancelled,” Nathalie said, her voice softening. “Have a good day.”

Adrien heard a click and that was it: Nathalie had hung up on him. He blinked and put the phone down, not really sure what to do now. During the summer months, he usually had things going on day after day. Especially now, in the months before he attended his next step of education, his father was trying to get him to help with the business. 

Just like he helped his father with everything else.

He decided to go back up towards Marinette’s bed. If his whole day was free, that meant he could spend it with her! Thinking this nothing less than a blessing in disguise, he immediately laid back down on his back next to her, breathing out a sigh of relief. 

He could make this whole day into a date; he knew Marinette had nothing to do. She always helped her parents out with the bakery, but he knew they would be happy to see them go out. 

Excited, he poked at her side. “Marinette! Princess!”

Surprising him, she huffed and sat up, throwing her pillow at him. He caught the pillow cheekily, but couldn’t help wondering how long she’d been awake. “Can’t I just sleep? I can’t believe you’re still here, are you going to be in trouble?”

“I’m still here! Guess what?” he said, grinning at her.

“What?”

“I’m already in trouble!”

She deadpanned, taking her pillow back from his arms and sighing. She was up now, he was glad for that. “What happened?”

“All my stuff was cancelled. I have the whole day free, so we could go do something if you wanted,” he reiterated for her. “It’s been awhile since we had a whole day to ourselves!” 

Though he was chattering excitedly, he saw that she was being a bit hesitant. He made a point to smile reassuringly at her and shut his mouth before he got too overworked, reminding himself that she hadn’t actually agreed to do anything; that he shouldn’t start making plans in his head just yet because he wasn’t sure that he was allowed to.

Marinette must have seen those thoughts starting to take hold and she quickly said, “Yes! Let’s do something. That sounds great.”

Relieved, he couldn’t stop himself from ear to ear, quite literally. She smirked at him and ruffled his hair affectionately as she got off the bed and stretched, yawning big. Adrien watched, mesmerized by the small movements of her toned muscles as she reached fair above her head, revealing just a small sliver of her lower back. 

“I’m going to go and take a shower,” she said, turning around. Heat rushed back into his face as she continued saying something about him making a plan for the day while she took a shower and are you paying attention Adrien?

“Yes -- yes! Sounds good,” he agreed nervously, tapping his fingers on his knee. 

“Great,” she said, eyeing him. “Be right back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long since I was actively writing, so it's a definitely a bit harder than I remember...


	3. Our Souls, They Play

“Sorry,” Marinette sighed at her boyfriend, who shrugged. He leaned casually against the railing that protected citizens from falling into the Seine, usually. 

“I can wait,” he promised. “I’ll call Nino or something.”

“Alright,” she agreed hesitantly, then spoke into her phone and slowly made her way towards a bench, conveniently empty for Lady Luck. “What is it, Alya? I was trying to spend a day with Adrien.”

 _“Girl, I’m so sorry!”_ Alya started with a laugh. _“Don’t worry, you’ll be married soon enough, then you can spend all the time you want with him.”_

Blushing, and hoping he hadn’t heard that, Marinette hissed into her phone. “Alya! What did you call me for? You’re supposed to be in London, wasn’t there some superhero there or something?”

 _“I mean, not quite, yes, you’re right, but you know Ladybug is my jam,”_ Alya confirmed, snorting. _“Did you see the post about Chat Noir my little intern made? I think she called it ‘Chat Noir, Revealed: A Total Klutz!’ or something like that.”_

“You shouldn’t use the word klutz,” Marinette chided, frowning into the phone. 

_“Yeah, you’re right. Maybe it wasn’t that, but I’ll double check,_ ” Alya mused with a breathy huff. _“Anyway, that’s not what I called to talk to you about. I mean, it sort of is. You know that intern I mentioned? She saw where Chat Noir ran off to transform, and she kind of saw him! Like turn back!”_

Marinette couldn’t help the ice that ran through her blood. Chat Noir may be unlucky, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have just as easily been her. Some part of her reminded her to be excited about this news, both for Alya and all of Paris, but all she felt was the pricks of cold under her skin.

She rubbed her arm, casting a glance at Adrien. He was on the phone too, having turned around to look over the Seine. If he dropped his phone, it would plummet to the water. But, of course, he was one of the few who could afford to drop his phone… 

“Did she see who he was?” Marinette wondered, holding her breath in. 

_“She didn’t, but get this! She saw this floaty black cat thing! Isn’t that weird? She ran after that, she said she was too afraid. You know, if it had been me -- ”_

“If it had been you, you would have put your life in danger,” Marinette interrupted, breathing out. “Chat Noir is dangerous, don’t forget that.”

 _“He’s human like the rest of us, you know,”_ Alya pointed out. _“Besides, aren’t you the least bit excited about the black cat thing? It has to be some kind of -- some kind of genie! You know in her interviews, Ladybug has never talked about how she transforms. I bet it’s something to do with that, she must have one too. We know their powers are similar, after all!”_

Marinette shifted uncomfortably. This was the closest Alya’s ever been to actually figuring out anything. She’s done a good job keeping Tikki and her powers hidden for 3 years, so she supposed it had to end sometime. She was lucky, in a way, that it was Chat Noir and not her. “I suppose, but still. It’d be best to ask Ladybug about it and not try to confront Chat Noir after he’s transformed back… That just seems like it’s asking for trouble.”

 _“You’re right, as always. I’ve just been on the trail -- both of their trails! -- for 3 years, trying to find out who they are. It’s so exciting to learn something new,”_ Alya excitedly chattered. _“I wonder if I could learn more after doing some research. There’s so much written I’ve never understood, you know? Like, old stuff. I bet I’d understand a bit more about the miraculous now.”_

“That’s great, Alya,” Marinette muttered, rubbing the miraculous that always sat on her earlobe. They were cold to the touch, smooth as the finest carved stone. She knew Tikki was sleeping in her small purse… All the things Alya could have noticed, but hadn’t. 

_“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you. I know you’re spending some time with Mr. Handsome Boy,”_ Alya teased. _“Remember that? You were so scared to talk to him. Now look at you! It’s amazing where a little bit of courage can take you.”_

“Hah, yeah,” Marinette breathed, grateful for the subject change away from her alter-ego. It was starting to tread dangerous territory. Marinette knew Alya would never reveal her, as much as she talked about it. She knew all about secret identities, how dangerous it all was. Still, Marinette was scared.

“I’ll leave you be,” Alya said. “I’ll be back from London soon! Prepare yourself.”

“You know how much I’ve missed you,” Marinette laughed.

 _“I know. See you soon, girlie,”_ Alya replied. The phone was immediately off, and she realized quickly that Alya hung up without saying goodbye. 

Getting off the bench, she walked over to Adrien and pressed the tips of her fingers gently between his shoulder blades. 

He glanced at her, briefly, and then said into his phone, “Yeah, yeah! Totally. Sorry, man, but the girls are done with their phone call. I gotta go. What? No, stop it. You’re being weird and gross again. ...Yeah, we’re on for Saturday. See you then. Bye!”

Marinette leaned against the gate, grinning at him. “Good phone conversation?”

“You know how Nino is,” he mumbles, looking like he was going to go off on some sort of rant.

“Yeah, haha, speaking of that. You know how Alya is?” Marinette said, loudly. A few people turned to look at her. “Her intern almost caught Chat Noir the other night, isn’t that funny? She almost saw his secret identity and all that. Isn’t -- isn’t that funny?”

Adrien blinked, his eyebrows pulling together as she spoke. “That’s good, though, right?” he asked, rubbing the back of his head and smiling, though Marinette knew that smile anywhere. It was the awkward, uncomfortable smile. He was being polite. She pushed the frowning feeling that grew inside her aside and smiled back.

“Yeah! I guess so,” she confirmed, stepping back to pull at the skin between her fingers.

He continued to look a little nervous but said nothing of it, rubbing the ring he always wore. He was looking at the ground, and Marinette, feeling like she had put him off, began to say something. She wasn’t really sure what and later certainly wouldn’t remember as suddenly a wave crashed over the both of them, quite literally. 

Marinette didn’t have time to process how she was feeling because she was suddenly being pulled by the waves into the water, except there was the railing in the way so instead she was suddenly trapped between the pressure of receding water and the cold metal. There was no time to think, because all she had in her head was the pain; if the water was any stronger, any stronger at all, it could have snapped her back.

When the water was gone she felt Adrien’s hand grabbing her’s, pulling her upright and forward. Disorientated, but coming back to the reality of the situation, she realized he had been led by him just a few feet further into the park. 

“Come on!” he was saying, pulling harder. She heard the sounds of water moving behind them and willed her feet into a run as water crashed, again, behind them. Luckily, they were far enough away this time that it did not touch them, though she heard the screams of plenty of citizens in the water.

“We have to do something,” she breathed, looking up at her boyfriend. Their eyes met; he sharply looked away, towards the citizens who were no doubt panicking the way you never should when swimming.

“Stay here,” Adrien told her, racing away. She didn’t think about it for more than two seconds, getting back up to her feet as her boyfriend disappeared, somewhere. Marinette immediately raced in the opposite direction, ignoring his prompt to stay put, wondering how he ever thought she could stay in one place at a time, anyway.

She skid behind a bench, different than the one she had talked to Alya on just moments ago, glancing around quickly to make sure no one was around. Satisfied with the lack of anyone nearby, she clicked open her purse. Tikki flew out with a determined look less than a heartbeat later.

“Ready?” she asked her charge.

“Always. Tikki, _spots on!_ ” Marinette called. 

The rush of power was now familiar, but there was a part of Marinette that always relished in feeling spandex crawl to the ends of her body, hugging her close. There was a part of her that relished the feeling of Tikki’s lucky magic dancing around her limbs, burying itself deep inside her to both aid and protect her. Marinette wished she could say the experience was ethereal, and sometimes she did, in interviews, but it wasn’t quite that. It made her feel grounded, not like she was somehow more powerful than everyone around her, but that she was _for_ them, swinging across their city to keep them safe.

The spell dropped around her and her eyes opened, a smile pulling at her lips as she stood. Immediately, she hesitated, spotting Chat Noir by the water. It looked like he was helping civilians out of the water? Ladybug couldn’t say she was surprised -- as long as she wasn’t around, Chat Noir was harmless enough, even helpful in times like these. 

Still… 

He was going to make things difficult…

Puffing out her cheeks a bit, Ladybug decided her first mission was finding the akumataized victim. They were probably near the water someplace, and she doubted they were hiding. It was just a matter of finding them before Chat Noir spotted her, because she knew from experience that finding an akuma was a million times harder with some dumb alley-cat on her trail.

She pulled herself into a nearby tree, looking near the water’s edge for anyone suspiciously out of place. Usually it was easy -- look for the fashion disaster, and she had them. Unfortunately, she didn’t spot any walking disasters.

Ladybug stayed hunkered in the tree, confident that the civilians Chat Noir had pulled out were safe. The water wasn’t moving anywhere that she could see, not even small ripples, so she determined the best thing to do was wait. They always made their way to Chat Noir eventually, if nothing else.

Luckily, she was hardly waiting 5 minutes by the time someone hopped out of the river and landed in front of Chat Noir. She watched his posture change, arms crossing and his classic shiteating grin snapping onto his face. At this point, all civilians that weren’t reporters had left the area, confused that Chat Noir had pulled them out of the water. 

_Perfect,_ she sighed to herself, even if she had been planning on facing them both. _This is exactly the kind of thing I need to deal with right now. An akuma AND Chat Noir? Here I thought I was supposed to be lucky._

Still, it wasn’t her first rodeo.

She dropped like a rock from the tree, noticed by the two villains immediately. As her eyes locked with Chat Noir’s she had nothing but strategy in mind, so she grinned and shouted, “Here, kitty, kitty, I’ve come to relieve you of your miraculous problem!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the more I do this, the more I realize I sure don't know what I'm doing! but it sure is fun.


	4. When you Move

“Here, kitty, kitty, I’ve come to relieve you of your miraculous problem!”

Chat Noir couldn’t stop himself from grinning at Ladybug’s taunt. Of course, he wasn’t the only one grinning. The heroine was too, though her grin was fading into a satisfied smirk. Ladybug looked as confident and valiant as ever, having strode forward to face himself and the akuma with a cocked hip, one hand placed strategically by her yoyo. 

He couldn’t help noticing that her hair was slick and wet, like his own. His golden locks stuck awkwardly to the side of his face and wouldn’t move despite the amount of times he’d tried to shake his head dry like some kind of dog. That was just the sort of thing you would expect to happen to him. Her hair, however, followed her train of luck: it did not seem to be in her way at all even if it was sticking to her forehead a bit. It was a little endearing. 

He crushed that thought the minute it crossed his mind. Too risky. 

It was much more enjoyable to banter with Ladybug than to fight her, if he was being honest. For one thing, she had quite the wit about her. For another thing, he always seemed to be on the losing side. As much as he might want to help his father and get her miraculous, he always managed to end up hanging from a tree or getting thrown across the city.

Before he could respond with maybe a _paw_ -ful pun to the lovely lady, the akuma stomped his foot and snapped at Ladybug. She had been eyeing him much the same way he’d been eyeing her, but she started suddenly, attention snapping to the villain and problem at hand.

“What, are you just going to ignore me?” he yelled. “Everyone ignores me!”

His father’s akumas had quite the temper, he thought, bemused. This one went by H2O -- _real_ original -- and was dressed in what seemed to be an all-body bathing suit, the kind of thing you might see swimmers wear. Most of it was blue, but his arms and part of his legs were white. He had goggles on his head which Chat was pretty sure held the guest of honor: an evil butterfly, crafted to perfection by Hawkmoth. H2O had a darker mask on his face in the shape of a butterfly, as akumas always did. Sometimes Chat wondered if it was actually meant to be a moth design. 

It wasn’t a very good design, simple compared to other he’d seen. And to think his father was a fashion designer…

“Boo-hoo,” Chat Noir sneered at the akuma. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Oh, _chaton_ ,” Ladybug said teasingly, swinging her yo-yo up into an arc. She started in a walk towards them, confidence shining strong in her blue eyes. Chat could hear his father’s voice ringing in his head, knowing exactly what he would be hearing if the man was standing right next to him. The akuma, annoyed that the heroine had disregarded him again, sent a surge of water towards her. It was nothing more than a narrow column of water, created out of his irritation. Chat Noir doubted it was there to do damage. 

Ladybug dodged with a chuckle, and then came at them running, yo-yo still spinning. She was on him fast. Chat raised his arms to deflect her first kick, but her swift second movement was by his ankles. He found himself ungratefully landing on his bum, and a little confused at this particular failure. H2O was screaming at the top of his lungs towards Ladybug as she charged him, though God only knew what he was yelling about. 

Frazzled, Chat staggered back onto his feet just in time for H2O to dive into the water. He both heard the splash and saw the ripples as he spun around. Ladybug hesitated by the edge. She surely couldn’t jump in, not into his territory. So the black cat realized with heartbeats to spare that this was his chance.

Chat Noir sprung up, bolting towards her. She whirled around and skipped back several paces to dodge his incoming baton. Green magic sparked down its length. 

He hesitated at that, having learned from many encounters that charging her again would not be the wisest thing to do. His muscles were itching for him to move, to be put to their full use. But Ladybug had conquered him more than once. He knew they were each other’s best and worst match; every scuttle between them had them leaving with no clear winner. Best, in fact, to wait for this akuma with his crazy waterbending powers to do something. 

Ladybug was hesitating, too. 

While H2O was busy hoping Ladybug would follow into the water, the two miraculous users really just watched each other like there was nothing but them in the world. Chat Noir had always been a bit lulled towards Ladybug; for this moment, he let himself get lost in her blue eyes. If eyes were the windows to the soul, then he knew Ladybug certainly must have a beautiful soul. He wondered if she had ever looked into his green eyes and seen the disaster he was. She would have had many opportunities. 

Chat had gotten the grief from his kwami before: _“You’re meant to work TOGETHER.”_ He’d gotten a lot of irritation from Plagg, who always said it without a hint of judgement but with piles of frustration. The kwami understood everything Adrien did for his father, but he wasn’t always happy about it. 

Plagg’s words often proved true. There were times that Chat Noir stood anywhere near Ladybug and he felt strong dissonance resonating between the two of them. They were two halves of a whole, Plagg said. They were stronger together, Plagg said. The other miraculous were different, could stand by themselves, he said. Creation and Destruction were meant to work together.

So what they’d discovered is that when Chat Noir and Ladybug clashed, their powers would literally repel each other. Not always, but lately it was definitely happening more. They would sometimes both go flying back, green and pink sparks flying. 

In this moment carved from time just for them, there was none of that.

He only briefly glanced at his arm, but he was surprised to actually see green magic, sharp like lightning, crackling down his suit. The magical disparity was often the cause for some confusion for Chat Noir. Like right now.

_This_ had never happened before. Not when they weren’t attacking each other. What was going on?

Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo and swung it in an arc, slowly walking towards him. Ears flattening on his head, the moment disappearing, Chat looked towards the water hopefully. Where was the damn akuma? Ladybug was getting closer! He spared another glance at her and spotted the red magic in the strings of her yoyo, fizzling up her arm and vanishing near her neck. 

The water moved. Chat’s eyes darted back to it as a column of water crashed over Ladybug and pulled her towards the water. He didn’t move.

Because she was Lady Luck incarnate, Ladybug managed to not be pulled into the water by grabbing onto the railing. He watched as the water stopped pulling her, since it seemed to be having not much of an effect, and she flipped out, unharmed, but definitely panting. 

Giving him a sidelong glance but otherwise ignoring him, she dashed towards the city’s streets, leaving the park behind. The akuma, like a fool, jumped out of the water and was very nearly about to pursue the red-clad superhero when he saw Chat Noir.

Who could only grin cheekily. 

“What are you doing _just standing around you useless cat_!” he bellowed. Chat’s grin only stretched, but it was short-lived. A glowing, purple mask took its place on the akuma’s face as Hawkmoth conversed with him. Chat’s ears flattened onto his head and he hunched his shoulders a bit, tail lashing. Great! Now the akuma was going to scold him on behalf of his father. In front of all those reporters, too. How embarrassing. 

He was suddenly feeling a whole lot less cocky.

“I was waiting for you!” Chat retorted, before the akuma could say anything at all, message from Hawkmoth or no. The purple mask suddenly vanished. “Hurry your tail up and let’s go!”

The akuma didn’t seem to like that comment. 

“I don’t _have_ a tail!” H2O howled from somewhere behind him.

If this wasn’t the most useless akuma ever! As Chat ran into the streets after Ladybug with H2O trailing behind him, he was painfully aware that they were leaving the Seine behind. He could already see Ladybug’s path to victory.

The akuma paused and took a good look around. The realization hit them both at the same time: Where did Ladybug go?

Angry, H2O turned his eyes on Chat Noir who could manage only a shrug and a light chuckle, having been just as blindsided as the akuma himself. Of course, he was not as offput as H2O. You could say that Chat Noir was just used to this after however many years, but he knew that wasn’t it. He knew there was something deeper that sparked disinterest.

“Ladybug!” H2O screamed. “WHERE ARE YOU? Stop ignoring me!”

Chat’s ears swiveled; he heard the faint sound of water movement…? His gaze trailed back to the akuma with a scowl. Great. What emotional reaction was this one having?

Wanting to see, he looked back towards the Seine with the loud yelling of the akuma in blasting in his ears. It took less than a millisecond for him to see the raising water levels. Alarm spiked down his spine, and he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck starting to stick up. Swinging his head around to glance at the akuma who seemed like he was glowing blue as he continued to rant and rage, Chat Noir decided it was a good time as any to move his tail outta here.

So, just as easy said as done, he scrambled up the nearest tree to avoid the water levels, certain that Plagg was probably laughing.

Ears flattened on his blonde head, Chat peered down through the branches and watched the water rise rapidly, more than it could ever do in a natural state. If he was still down there, he was certain it would be up to his ankles! How awful. 

Feeling uneasy and maybe a bit queasy, he turned his attention back to H2O who was stalking forward with hunched shoulders, his screaming long having turned to indiscernible words. 

“Just had to climb the same tree, didn’t you, alley cat?” came a teasing voice from above. Chat Noir’s head snapped up, green eyes locking on a red-clad figure before settling to meet her gaze. 

Ladybug peered down him with narrowed eyes. She seemed amused, almost, with the smile that sat on her lips when she was feeling particularly confident. He knew the look too well. Looking away for only a second, back towards the akuma, he commented, “I always do my best to find and capture you, My Lady.”

“Do you?” she snorted. “Not doing much now.” He watched her blow a kiss and wink at him, that smirk on her lips growing as she watched him become flustered right before her. Ears flattening on his head and his cheeks feeling unbearably hot, he stood up and balanced easily with a lash of his tail.

Feeling a tad snappish, he snarled, “Well, let’s see if we can change that!” 

He yelled “Cataclysm!” and pressed his hand firmly on the base of the tree. A grin stretched on his face he looked over to Ladybug, only to find that she was landing right in front of H2O as the tree crumbled to dust. Just as he landed butt-first in the water.

Luckily, Chat Noir could not feel pain while dressed in the suit. Unluckily, he could definitely feel cold water seeping in through the material. He was immediately on his feet looking for some sort of safety from the cold water when he heard Ladybug call her Lucky Charm. Ears pressed on his head and knowing very well it would be only moments until the akuma was purified, he looked over just in time to see a pair of red rain boots with black spots and loops on the top land flat in her hands.

Chat did the stupid thing of starting towards her despite the still-rising water level. He trudged through the moving waves and heard his ring give off its first warning beep somewhat loudly. She looked over at him just after picking up a fishing pole. 

She was smirking again.

Chat Noir hesitated. It was enough time for Ladybug to loop the string of the fishing pole cleverly through the one of loops on top of the rainboots and look back at him. He didn’t continue hesitating, running at her the best he could with water that was now knee-high. It turned into more of a trudge through it, really. He should be using his baton. Why wasn’t he using his baton?

“Your time is almost up, kitty!” Ladybug chided as he pulled the baton from its place above his tail. 

“More than enough time to get your miraculous, My Lady,” he snipped in return. He was close enough to swing the baton now. Ladybug ducked the high aim, sliding back a pace or so. The akuma yelled suddenly, and the water around them started moving. It was disturbed and turned, small waves beginning to rise up and splash towards Ladybug. 

None of them hit her. 

He cast a glance at the akuma who he could barely see any longer, the water having rose up around H2O, bending and curling around his frame. This was weird. Chat Noir tried to move towards Ladybug again but was deterred quickly. He didn’t so much feel the wave smacking into him as much as he felt the water in his ears and up his nose. 

He scrambled, confused. The water was higher now, again. But his claws found the ground and he pushed up, mud squishing as he did so. Just then, he felt a tightening around his body. He was suddenly lurched upwards out of the water. Diamond droplets of water went flying and he flailed, before realizing what must have happened.

Disgruntled to suddenly find himself face-to-face with water, he cast his glance upwards to see surprisingly thin string tightened around a tree branch just as Ladybug jumped off the branch. He was hanging from a tree. Another goddamn tree. How did this always happen? One of the boots she had gotten through her lucky charm was up there, sitting patiently on top of the branch for Ladybug to come back. 

His day would be going this way.

Chat Noir was not watching as Ladybug used the other rainboot to get H2O, pulling him out of his self-created self-vortex. He was not watching as she pulled the akuma from his head and he fell over, unconscious. And he was certainly not watching when she bent down slowly, retrieving the boot. He certainly did not notice the droplets of water falling from her hair. No siree. 

Then Ladybug was approaching, goggles in hand. She hadn’t broken them yet. She was coming towards him. His breath caught in his throat. 

His miraculous beeped. 

Chat Noir hissed, reaching for the string that was tight around his ribs. He clawed at it pitifully, but the sharp ends of his fingers was enough. Besides, the rope had been a little loose. 

“Well, this has been a _purr_ -fectly fun time,” he mumbled, casting her a dark glance. “But right _meow_ I must be off!”

Another beep.

Shit, was that the third or fourth one? Chat Noir decided to make a run for it, though running through water was always sloppy. Ladybug didn’t seem to care, and he vaguely registered her call of Miraculous Ladybug when the water around his knees was eaten up by ladybugs that spread through the city’s every angle. Water gone, his speed picked up.

He managed to make it on top of a roof close to home before his transformation ran out. He was lucky, for once, that he was high up; only the cooing pigeons on the nearby ledge would have learned his identity. 

Plagg fell into his cupped palms, sniggering mercilessly. “Nice going, genius!”

“Hey, I tried,” Adrien muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“That’s not what I’m talking about! How are you going to get off this roof?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eep! It’s been so long. I had to finish up a summer class last week, and another one this week, so I’ve been busy! Plus, this chapter was a little bit harder, I've never been very good at action sequences. A big thanks to everyone who’s given feedback on both Hazards and I’m in Love with Someone Else... I love all your feedback and to hear everyone's thoughts! 
> 
> My idea with this fic is a lot 'Plagg+Tikki aren't meant to fight' which I went into a little bit with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Next I'm thinking of a little Marichat ...


	5. The Lies They Told to You

Marinette would be lying if she said she wasn't entirely confused after the battle with the water-based akuma. She never got his name, but he was significantly less powerful than others she had faced, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe Hawkmoth was testing something, practicing for a stronger akuma. It made her nervous After the battle, she told the bewildered, upset man that everything would be okay and then left it to the professionals who had been dealing with akuma victims for years.

Marinette wasn't sure what to make of the strange magic that kept sparking up between her and Chat Noir. She'd say it was weird, but that was an understatement. It was… distracting. Since a few months after everything began, there'd always been that clashing magic between the two of them, but it'd always been small until recently. The fight with the water akuma was the first time they weren't fighting and the magic crackled down her back. Even more unusual, it was new that it occurred outside costume. Sometimes she would see it on her fingertips and drop her pen in shock.

It wasn't the first side effect of being Ladybug, but it was the most troubling.

A few weeks had passed since that particular akuma. There'd been scattered akuma attacks and Ladybug had been fortunate to not see Chat Noir during them. Maybe he was avoiding her. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Adrien too much either. But that wasn't awfully unusual this time of the year, considering his constant photoshoots and events to attend.

Tikki hadn't been any help regarding the magic. She claimed she didn't know what it was any more than Marinette did, though the fashion designer was certain that Tikki knew a bit more than she was letting on. It wasn't really worth pursuing, though. It didn't do any harm except to feel a bit funny, but it did give her a shock every time it showed up.

One day, after she'd gotten ice cream with Alya who was _finally_ back from London, she sat down at her desk. Magic immediately cracked up her leg. Uncomfortable, she crossed her leg and decided with a huff that maybe it was time to talk to Tikki about it again.

"Tikki," she tried. The kwami side-eyed her charge as she nibbled on a cookie. She didn't respond immediately, electing to finish the cookie first. Marinette knew they had a bond, and so she was fairly confident that Tikki knew exactly what was weighing on her mind.

Cookie having been nibbled away as slowly as Tikki could manage, the kwami finally spoke. While she was waiting, Marinette had begun to impatiently bounce her leg and tap her pen on the desk, but Tikki was never bothered by that sort of thing. In fact, Marinette wasn't even sure she noticed. Bond or no, she wasn't a mind-reader. Tikki spoke softly, calming like always. Sometimes it was that voice that helped Marinette fall to sleep.

"I really don't know anything about it, Marinette," she assured. "I think maybe if you and Chat Noir spoke about it - " Marinette scoffed, purposely, loudly. " - then we'd gain some insight." The kwami finished her explanation with a soft smile. Tikki was always so calm and thoughtful. Marinette knew that she wasn't happy that Chat Noir and Ladybug weren't partners, or whatever, but she at least tried to be sympathetic most of the time. Sometimes less than others. Marinette had gotten quiet sighs, but she'd also gotten yelled at.

It usually made Marinette feel guilty. She didn't talk to Tikki about it, though she was sure the kwami knew. Tikki was missing a lot of pieces. She didn't know why Marinette felt guilty, and it was because she felt like she was betraying the kwami, who she should be putting all her trust into.

Then there was a rap on the window above her bed.

This had never happened before so Marinette, startled, jumped and fell out of her chair. She landed awkwardly on the ground with a soft groan, one leg still half on her chair. Meanwhile, Tikki's eyes widened until they were huge like the moon, and she flew away, diving under the desk to hide. Marinette looked at her, then looked back at the window, feeling apprehensive. She had a feeling about who was out there, but it didn't make any sense.

Another couple of taps. By then, Marinette was already climbing up the stairs that led to her bed and saw a dark figure retreat from the window. She couldn't help letting out a heavy breath, looking down at Tikki, who shrugged as she hesitantly climbed outside. The chilly night air bit at her skin as she pulled herself onto the balcony, so she pulled the ends of her cardigan close together, eyes immediately locking on the figure who stood at the end of her balcony.

Her heart skipped over a beat.

His ears were so flat to his head that she could barely see them, his tail swayed lazily in the breeze that had moved through the city's streets. He didn't seem to have an aggressive stance (in fact, was he posing?), but Marinette reminded herself to be wary. This was unusual. This had never happened before.

She met his green eyes. They were soft.

"Marinette," he said. He said it with such familiarity, such relief, like he hadn't really been confident she'd come out.

A small part of her relaxed, just a bit, at the tone his voice took. It sounded like… no. But it did sound like him.

For a moment she debated how to act, especially because she knew Tikki would be listening in. Chat Noir was her enemy, and especially as a civilian right now, she wouldn't want to seem comfortable or tease him the way she did as Ladybug. But she wouldn't want to seem uncomfortable, either, because Chat Noir was known for protecting civilians, sometimes. Tikki wanted him and Ladybug to work together, and with Tikki listening in, maybe that was something that should come up in the conversation.

He may be her enemy, she decided, but there was someone under that mask. Maybe she could talk about that a bit. Learn something.

Marinette thought on it for a few minutes longer, watching him uneasily. She wondered why he came here, and what he was here for. Of all the places to visit, she wouldn't expect him to hop on her balcony and tap on her door in the middle of the night! Plus, if Chat Noir really wanted to talk to _Marinette_ , was there something wrong with approaching her broad daylight as a civilian? Maybe it had something to do with holding the black cat miraculous.

"Chat Noir," she finally settled on as a response, attempting to carefully think through her words and the conversation it would lead to. She decided to brace herself and act coldly, channeling how she'd seen others act around him. There was a lot of stiffness around Chat Noir, a lot of distrust. "What are you doing here?"

He regarded her carefully and then gazed out over the city's lights, completely at ease. Feeling relatively calm herself, especially after seeing his ease, Marinette followed, her eyes landing on the Eiffel Tower as they often did. The architecture masterpiece was lit up bright; clouds that floated just above it were illuminated. Marinette drew her eyes over them, thinking of the delicate brushstrokes that might go into their gentle curves. Her thoughts quickly trailed to what kind of outfits might be created with inspiration from clouds, and then, somehow, to the akuma Stormy Weather…

"I love Paris," Chat Noir finally said. She blinked, halfway through the creation of a new dress that would suit Alya perfectly.

"Then maybe you shouldn't work so hard to destroy it," Marinette remarked after a heartbeat, her thoughts turning back to studying the clouds. She'd never really drawn clouds, most of her art was focused on anatomy. She wondered if it'd be particularly hard.

"My goal isn't to destroy Paris," he replied with a sigh. She almost laughed at the irony. His special move was literally _Cataclysm,_ he destroyed anything with a touch. He _could_ destroy Paris, if he wanted, if he had enough cheese.

"Then why don't you work with Ladybug?" she countered. "All the akumas seem pretty unconcerned about the damage they create, or the lives that are put at risk. If your goal isn't to destroy Paris, and I've seen you rescue citizens so I believe you, I'm not really sure what you're doing fighting against Ladybug."

Chat Noir didn't respond immediately, walking towards the railing on her balcony. He leaned over it, peering down at the street. She crossed her arms, glancing towards her balcony door. She noticed Tikki's red blobbish shape there, but the kwami quickly flew away. Chat Noir was straightening up.

"See a mouse?" she pried.

"No," he mumbled. "I heard something, but it must have just been a stray cat. Or maybe someone is listening to us."

Marinette was put off a bit by his comment but she decided to dismiss it. She wasn't about to say anything that might give her away, anyway. He was at risk if someone was listening, not her.

"So? Why do you help Hawkmoth?"

A pause.

"Papillon he may be, but he's this cat's father," Chat Noir admitted, sighing. "I have to. What other choice do I have? I don't want to cause needless destruction. I'm just trying to get Ladybug's miraculous. I don't want to hurt her, really, or anyone."

Marinette didn't respond immediately, turning what he said over in her head. Lost in thought, the sometimes-superhero fiddled with the earrings that sat on her lobes, fingering them delicately. She ran her thumb over their smooth curve, carefully felt the coolness of the back. Sighing, she moved to push her hair behind her ear, only for Chat Noir to beat her to it: for whatever possessed him, she felt the cold of a black claw tucking her hair behind her ear.

"You have nice earrings," he commented, his finger lingering longer than necessary.

She smirked up at him, not particularly worried but feeling her breath catch. "Thanks. I like them a lot."

"Hm."

"Now," she mused, pushing his hand away. "What if I were to find out your identity, _kitty_? What then? Now I know that whoever you are, Hawkmoth won't be far behind."

He chuckled, low in his throat.

"Princess, you'll never know my identity," Chat Noir promised, a smirk still playing on his lips. She found herself unwittingly matching it, thinking of the irony.

Marinette remembered what Tikki said about them being meant to work together and wondered if there was something more than that as she felt drawn to him in the moment. She had thought of that often, when she felt compelled in battle to focus on him instead of the akuma, when they bantered back and forth, and even when she wasn't paying too much attention to him, yet somehow remained conscious of his whereabouts.

On some magical, spiritual level, Chat Noir was her other half. She was creation, and he was destruction; if she was the sun, then he was the moon.

Marinette thought about Adrien and the way his kisses felt so warm and so like home, and she wondered for just a brief moment if it would be much different to kiss Chat Noir. Her cheeks flamed up immediately, so Marinette flattened down her clothes self-consciously, clearing her throat.

"You-you never told me why you stopped by," she mumbled, looking anywhere but him. Did he know how flustered she was feeling? Was he aware of her the way she was aware of him, even if she wasn't wearing the mask right now?

He seemed curious. She could tell this without looking.

"I just felt like it," he said, and she knew he was lying. She knew it in the crack of his knuckles and roll of his shoulders as he straightened up. She noticed a spark of green magic around those knuckles and felt it on hers. She hurried to hide her hands behind her back, cheeks flaring even more. They were talking! Wasn't that enough for whatever god decided to make magic dance across her skin?

His lie was not worth pursuing. She felt completely and entirely perplexed, because Chat Noir had never shown up on her balcony at midnight before, but if a cat didn't want to share, then a cat wouldn't share.

Marinette waited as he moved towards the railing slowly, painfully. She could see in his somber movements forward that he was not quite ready to go, that he was hesitating. There was something else. Narrowing her eyes, she breathed out. There was a reason this alley-cat came to her balcony at midnight, it wasn't just for funsies, and she knew it.

"I had a really weird day today. Something went… wrong. Maybe you've noticed. There's been a lot of magic sparking between myself and Ladybug. So, I have to tell a close friend of mine about… it," he said, turning around to face her again. She breathed out, and could just barely feel his warm breath on her cold nose. "It's something I've kept from him for 3 years. But I have to tell him."

"You have to?" she asked, not sure what else to say, but she thought of Tikki.

"I think it's time," he muttered, leaning in just a bit closer. He stopped unbearably close. Marinette's heart was not thrumming in her chest, it was not steady. She felt erratic, heart pounding wildly out of control. She couldn't remember how to breathe. He was so close, too close. He smelled good, kind of sweet. There were undertones of camembert.

She reminded herself that she couldn't kiss Chat Noir, not on _her_ balcony at midnight. Gaining some semblance of control, she pressed one finger to his nose and pushed him away.

"Then-then tell him," she sighed, thinking of Tikki again. "If he's so close to you, after 3 years, should you really have secrets anyway?"

He regarded her carefully, before settling on an, "Okay. Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Princess."

Her heart jumped at the nickname, but he paid no mind. Adrien called her that a lot. Chat Noir turned away with a wink and disappeared swiftly into the night. She didn't watch him go.

Instead, Marinette turned back to her room and hopped in, landing softly on her bed. Tikki floated up to her, and their eyes met in the darkness of Marinette's room. Tikki's were narrowed with concern, but the kwami refrained from saying anything that might be considered ' _not what Marinette needs right now'._

Marinette was the first to speak after a somewhat extended and definitely awkward silence.

"That was… interesting," she managed.

"I feel like I understand a little bit more about Chat Noir now," the kwami hummed in return. "Though his last couple of words were a bit perplexing, I don't think it would be very hard to get him to work with you at all. Maybe if you could talk to him as Ladybug... "

Marinette studied the kwami, thinking about what Chat Noir had said, but also thinking about the next step in trying to put a stop to akumas. For three years, she's worked alone in countering them, occasionally coming close to getting Chat's miraculous. Tikki had mentioned before that Hawkmoth's kwami wasn't meant to be where he was.

However, she vaguely remembered a comment about Chat Noir's miraculous being in both the wrong and the right hands.

Marinette took a deep breath and pulled out her courage from the deepest part of her soul, the kind she kept stored for particularly tough conversations or battles. This was about to be one of those. She opened her arms, invitingly, and Tikki smiled, flying to her charge with no idea of what she was about to say. Cradling her little friend, Marinette started to talk.

"Tikki... there's something I need to tell you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I promise Marichat? I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Sorry if I'm not responding to your comments! I do read them and I love reading them, I just get awkward about replying. But thanks to everyone your support! It's awesome.


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